Biljohn, MareveChatanga, Redemption2025-01-032025-01-032023http://hdl.handle.net/11660/12890Thesis (Ph.D.(Public Administration and Management))--University of the Free State, 2023𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Climate change is prioritised as one of the 2030 sustainable development goals of the United Nations (UN) due to its global impact. If not addressed through climate governance and the adoption of appropriate policies, climate change may drive more than 100 million people into poverty by 2030. The success of climate governance and the implementation of climate change policies do not only depend on institutions such as the UN and its signatories, governments and activists, but have equally become the responsibilities of communities. However, the state of community participation in climate change policy formulation and implementation seems to be a challenge in Africa. A case in this regard, which is also the focus of this study, is Lesotho, which is affected by climate change, yet community participation in climate governance, particularly in policy formulation and implementation, does not seem effective. In Lesotho, it is evident that the threat of climate change is exacerbated by poor agricultural practices, deforestation and wildfires. In light of this, the current study explored community participation in climate change policy by presenting a contextual participatory strategy towards such participation in future policy formulation and implementation processes. 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆: Although Lesotho’s National Climate Change Policy supports community participation in climate change policies, community participation in climate governance seems to be lacking in the country. The extent to which the country will achieve adaptation to climate change mainly depends on the level of community participation in climate governance. This necessitates a contextual strategy in which communities are part of policy governance in climate change of which the current research aims to fill this gap. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻, 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆: The qualitative research approach was adopted in this study. A case study design was applied to explore community participation in climate change policies by presenting a contextual participatory strategy towards such participation in future policy formulation and implementation processes. This design was executed in three stages (conceptual - Stage 1, theoretical - Stage 2 and empirical - Stage 3). Through qualitative methods of data collection (documents, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews), multiple sources of data were used to address the research problem. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: The contribution of this study can be captured in respect of the discipline of Public Administration (PA), Lesotho’s policy agenda and community participation in climate change policy. Pertaining to PA, this study aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice through empirical data that analyse the relationship of community participation, participation theories and the practical application of the New Public Governance components through public administration and climate governance. In addition, the study adds to the ongoing debate and stimulates the discourse in respect of new contemporary participation methodologies that could enhance community participation in climate change policy formulation and implementation. Regarding Lesotho’s policy agenda, data were generated that could influence the policy agenda regarding community participation in future climate change policy formulation and implementation. This study contributes to a paradigm shift for increased legitimacy, acceptance and ownership of climate change policies, through community participation in future climate policy processes. This contextual research introduced novel insights regarding the use of indigenous knowledge systems in climate change policy formulation and implementation to facilitate community participation in climate governance. Concerning community participation in climate governance, this study contributed to the research agenda for future studies regarding community participation in climate change policy formulation and implementation, which is fundamental to the success of climate governance.enClimate changeClimate governanceCommunity participationManonyane communitiesNew public governance theoryPolicy formulation and implementationPolicy processThesisUniversity of the Free State